The Fourth Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche leads a prayer.
KUCHING: The Fourth Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche launched the Holy Grand Kangyur Recitation Puja yesterday.
Organisers said it was a blessing for Buddhists in the country to have the Fourth Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, also known as Mingyur Drakpa Sengge, here as he is one of most respected masters in the Buddhist world. Mingyur explained that the Holy Grand Kangyur is actually the translated spoken words of Buddha.
“Originally the words and texts were written in Pali, Buddha’s native language and Sanskrit. Monks from Tibet documented and translated these words of his into Tibetan many centuries ago and what you will hear today and throughout the month is the translated version (Tibetan) of the Holy Grand Kangyur,” he said.
The Holy Grand Kangyur Recitation Puja is a grand event for Buddhists, especially those who adhere to Tibetan Buddhism.
Hosted by the Kuching Bodhi Path, the Holy Grand Kangyur Recitation Puja is a month-long script recitation ritual. Kuching Bodhi Path centre Resident monk Lamat Jinpa, who is originally from Pokhara, Nepal, said 25 monks from Bhutan, Nepal, India and Tibet are here to recite the Holy Grand Kangyur.
“These 25 monks understand, speak and read the language very well. I am thrilled not only to have the Fourth Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche visit us but them as well to come here and read out the scripts,” he said.
The first time the event took place here was in 2012.
Monks from all sects (Theravada and Mahayana) also attended the launching ceremony and sect representatives recited prayers during the event. Bodhi Path is an international organisation of Buddhist centres founded in the early 1990s and directed by the Shamarpa.
One of the centre’s main goals is to provide a non-sectarian approach to Buddhism, and it offers guidelines for practising Buddhism.